About Holy Trinity by the Sea · Nags Head, North Carolina
Holy Trinity by the Sea is a Catholic mission chapel serving the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina from a stretch of Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head, at the well-known Whalebone Junction (the intersection of NC Highways 12 and 158, across from a KFC at the entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore). It is one of three worship sites of the parish of Holy Redeemer by the Sea in Kitty Hawk, under the Diocese of Raleigh, and gathers Catholics from Nags Head, the southern beach communities, and nearby mainland counties for weekly Sunday Mass — including a Spanish-language Mass that reflects the area's growing Hispanic presence. Worship here is currently led by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (OSFS), the religious order that has administered Holy Redeemer by the Sea since 2003.
- Established
- 1965 (chapel site acquired by Father Joseph Klaus; year of formal conversion into a mission chapel not separately published)
- Patron
- The Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
- Rector
- Very Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S., V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
Holy Trinity by the Sea is the convenient Sunday worship home for Catholics who live in or vacation along the southern Outer Banks — Nags Head, Whalebone Junction, the southern Dare County beaches and adjacent mainland — and it is the only local Catholic Mass site offering both English and Spanish liturgies every Sunday. As a mission chapel of Holy Redeemer by the Sea, it connects parishioners to a much larger parish life that includes a vibrant Faith Formation program (two-year sacramental prep, Quinceañera preparation, Little Rock Scripture study, Walking with Purpose, and Forming Intentional Disciples), an active Knights of Columbus council (Annunciata Council 8759) that runs the Lenten 40Cans4Food food drive and Coats for Kids, and a robust social outreach ministry supporting the Beach Food Pantry, Room In The Inn, WaterLife Pregnancy Care Center, and more. The community is bilingual, Oblate-led, and proud to be a 'visible sign of the Roman Catholic Church in an area where the Catholics are still a distinct minority.'
Mass times at Holy Trinity by the Sea
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday — by appointment; Spanish (per Diocese of Raleigh listing)
About Holy Trinity by the Sea
Holy Trinity by the Sea is a Catholic mission chapel located in Nags Head, North Carolina, at the well-known Whalebone Junction (intersection of NC Highways 12 and 158, MP 16.5). It is one of three worship sites belonging to the parish of Holy Redeemer by the Sea in Kitty Hawk, within the Diocese of Raleigh. The chapel primarily serves the southern Outer Banks — Nags Head and nearby Dare County mainland communities — and is particularly notable for offering both an English and a Spanish Sunday Mass every weekend.
History of Holy Trinity by the Sea
Catholic worship on the Outer Banks dates back to about 1929, when Helen Norbeck Lawrence arranged for monthly Mass in her Bodie Island home. The chapel building itself has a 'colorful past': built in 1952 as the Shrine Club and preceded by a nightclub called The Jokers Three, the property was purchased in 1965 by Holy Redeemer by the Sea's visionary pastor Father Joseph Klaus (a Navy chaplain) and converted into the mission chapel of Holy Trinity by the Sea. Father Klaus also acquired land in Buxton at the same time that would not host Our Lady of the Seas for another thirty years.
- 1952 — Shrine Club built at Whalebone Junction (site had earlier been the Jokers Three nightclub)
- 1965 — Father Joseph Klaus acquires the property as pastor of Holy Redeemer by the Sea
- 1965 onward — Property converted to Catholic mission chapel of Holy Trinity by the Sea
- Late 1990s — Holy Trinity serves as a worship site for Holy Redeemer parishioners while the new Kitty Hawk church is being built
- 2003 — Diocese of Raleigh invites the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales to assume administration of the parish
- January 2025 — Rev. Giovanny Hernan Munoz Muneton, OSFS arrives as parochial vicar for the Hispanic communities at Holy Trinity and Our Lady of the Seas
Clergy & Parish Staff
Holy Trinity by the Sea is served by the same Oblate clergy and parish staff as Holy Redeemer by the Sea in Kitty Hawk. The pastor of the parish is Very Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S., V.F., who succeeded longtime Oblate pastor Fr. William Walsh in early 2023. A new parochial vicar, Rev. Giovanny Hernan Munoz Muneton, O.S.F.S., arrived from Colombia in January 2025, specifically to minister to the Hispanic communities at Holy Trinity and Our Lady of the Seas in Buxton.
- Pastor: Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S., V.F.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Giovanny Hernan Munoz Muneton, O.S.F.S.
- Executive Assistant: Christine Flink
- Administrative Assistant: Wendy Flores Barrera
- Business Manager: Tim Gregory
- Financial Assistant: Jane Parker
- Bulletin Editor: Marian Sciacchitano
- Director of Faith Formation: Kerri Engley
- Custodian: Lizette Perez Sanchez
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at Holy Redeemer by the Sea (the parent parish of Holy Trinity) follows the Diocese of Raleigh's two-year Sacramental Preparation model. Classes meet on Sunday mornings after the 9:00 AM Mass at Holy Redeemer in Kitty Hawk. Adult faith formation is rich, including a Little Rock Scripture Group, a 'Walking with Purpose' women's Bible study, and a 'Forming Intentional Disciples' parish book study. The parish also subscribes to Franciscan at Home (Franciscan University Catechetical Institute) so parishioners can complete catechist and parent formation tracks online.
- Two-Year Sacramental Preparation (First Penance & First Communion)
- Two-Year Sacramental Preparation (Confirmation)
- Quinceañera Preparation Program
- Little Rock Scripture Group (Wednesdays 9:45–11:30 AM)
- Walking with Purpose women's Bible study
- Forming Intentional Disciples book study (Sherry Weddell)
- Franciscan at Home (online catechist/parent formation)
Social Outreach & Charity
Holy Redeemer by the Sea — and by extension Holy Trinity by the Sea — operates a wide-ranging social outreach ministry that puts the Corporal Works of Mercy into practice locally. Parishioners are encouraged to bring extra grocery items to Mass for the Beach Food Pantry, volunteer with interfaith partners like Room In The Inn and Ruthie's Community Kitchen, and support the WaterLife Pregnancy Care Center. The parish's outreach work is bolstered by vacationers who attend summer Masses at both churches.
- Beach Food Pantry (baskets at Mass; ~3,000 lbs / ~2,500 meals in 2018)
- Interfaith Community Outreach (ICO) — emergency rent, utilities, clothing, food
- Ruthie's Community Kitchen (free Tuesday suppers)
- Room In The Inn (winter shelter for those experiencing homelessness)
- WaterLife Pregnancy Care Center support
- Thanksgiving Outreach Ministry
- Respect Life ministry
- Red Cross Blood Drive
- Outer Banks Dementia Friendly Coalition
- Crafty Ladies / Prayer Shawl Ministry (weekly Tuesdays; shawls distributed at OBX Hospital Cancer Center)
- Peace Garden on church grounds, with Peace Pole
Knights of Columbus Annunciata Council 8759
The parish's Knights of Columbus council — Annunciata Council 8759 — is a major engine of parish service, charity, and fellowship. Members run the monthly First Friday Fish Fry (proceeds fund the council's charity work), the 40Cans4Food Lenten food drive (2,856 lbs of food donated to the Beach Food Pantry in 2025), the Coats for Kids program (brand-new winter coats delivered to Dare County Social Services), the LAMB Program supporting special-needs students, and annual support for the WaterLife Pregnancy Care Center Walk for Life.
- Monthly First Friday Fish Fry
- 40Cans4Food Lenten food drive (Beach Food Pantry)
- Coats for Kids (Dare County Social Services)
- LAMB Program — supports special-needs students in Dare & Currituck County classrooms
- WaterLife Walk for Life sponsorship and lunch
- Halloween outreach at Peak Resources in Nags Head
Pastor & Parish Administration
Since 2003 the parish of Holy Redeemer by the Sea — and its mission chapels Holy Trinity by the Sea and Our Lady of the Seas — has been administered by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (OSFS). The current pastor, Very Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S., V.F., assumed the role in early 2023 after serving as a parochial vicar, and immediately began renovations and improvements to both Holy Redeemer and Holy Trinity.
- Religious order: Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (OSFS), serving since 2003
- Current pastor: Very Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S., V.F. (since early 2023)
- Parochial vicar: Rev. Giovanny Hernan Munoz Muneton, O.S.F.S. (since January 2025)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Howard Lanefrom 1929
Traveled monthly by ferry and unpaved roads from Elizabeth City to say Mass at the Lawrence home on Bodie Island for the first Catholic worship on the Outer Banks.
- Fr. James R. Jones1955–1957
First pastor of Holy Redeemer by the Sea; began saying Mass in Buxton; oversaw construction of the 1956 rectory.
- Fr. Peter Dengessucceeded Fr. Jones (through 1962)
Guided the parish through the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, carrying the Blessed Sacrament to higher ground as water breached the rectory.
- Fr. Joseph Klausfrom 1965
Purchased the Shrine Club property in Whalebone Junction that became Holy Trinity by the Sea, and land in Buxton that would host Our Lady of the Seas decades later; also served as a Navy chaplain.
- Fathers Leo McIllrath, William Frost, and Joseph Baumannfollowing Fr. Klaus
Continued shepherding the growing Outer Banks Catholic community.
- Fr. Terry Collins1988–1999
Expanded parish ministries across Corolla, Buxton and Ocracoke (4,000+ sq mi); oversaw construction of Our Lady of the Seas in Buxton in the early 1990s and supported bilingual Masses.
- Fr. Michael Butler1999–2003
Led the parish through the 1998 arson fire that destroyed the Kill Devil Hills church and into the 2001 dedication of the new Kitty Hawk worship space.
- Rev. William (Bill) Walsh, O.S.F.S., PhDJuly 2003–early 2023
First Oblate of St. Francis de Sales pastor; celebrated first Mass July 12, 2003; emphasized 'the Eucharist is the source and summit of all the Church's activity.'
- Rev. John A. Hanley, O.S.F.S.early 2023–present
Succeeded Fr. Walsh as pastor from among his parochial vicars; began renovations and improvements to both Holy Redeemer and Holy Trinity.